Not As Simple As 1, 2, 3: Humanity Has A Surprisingly Diverse Understanding Of Numbers

• by: Marjorie Hecht

12-10-2024 ~ Language plays an important role in understanding the concept of numbers.

Numeracy or numerosity, the ability to think about and use numbers, varies among human cultures and within populations, much like intelligence does.

Many known languages, for example, have no words for numerals above 2 or 3. A linguist who curated a database of the world’s languages in 2015 estimated that of the 6,880 languages for which there are published data on numerals, 1,093 had a counting system that ends at 2 or 3.

Compare that lack of a developed counting system to today’s technologically complex societies, where the average person encounters about 1,000 numbers an hour in daily life, as estimated by cognitive neuroscientist Brian Butterworth, professor emeritus at University College London.

At a simple level, we keep time, keep a calendar, memorize addresses and phone numbers, and at a more complex level, we calculate interest rates and stock valuations, election vote percentages, temperatures and rain accumulations, missile trajectories, and astronomical relationships. Read more

The West Celebrates Assad’s Fall, But What Comes Next May Be Even Worse

• by: C.J. Polychroniou

C.J. Polychroniou

12-11-2024 ~ How can the fall of the admittedly brutal Assad regime create a “historic opportunity” for the Syrian people when the country is now under the control of jihadists?

The toppling of Bashar al-Assad in Syria was cheered by U.S. President Joe Biden and other major Western leaders, like French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as it ended the reign of a brutal regime more than 13 years after Assad’s crackdown on anti-government protests ignited Syria’s civil war.

Indeed, Biden described Assad’s fall as a “historic opportunity” for the Syrian people, echoing Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS) that took over Syria, who said, “This victory, my brothers, is historic for the region.”

But wait. Isn’t HTS on the list of banned terrorist groups and Jolani a jihadist militant whose journey began in Iraq with links to al Qaeda and later to the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI)? So why is the West cheering for al Qaeda and its allies? Read more

In Memoriam Johan Galtung (1930-2024)

• by: Kees van der Veer

Johan Galtung

12-09-2024 ~ “A very important reason for forbidding nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction is that they increase the threshold for what is acceptable.”

A conventional war is often defended by saying it did not go nuclear.
The international legal framework for warfare is already a victim of nuclear arms and can only regain its validity by forbidding that insult perpetrated on humanity. (Galtung 2017).

Professor Johan Vincent Galtung, who passed away on February 17, 2024, is generally know as the founder of the academic discipline or interdisciplinair field, of Peace Research. He started in 1964 the Institut for Fredsforskning (PRIO) in Oslo, Norway. But he himself was much more than an academic. During and after his academic career, he was appointed ten times Dr Honorios Causa and was holder of the Right Livelyhood Award (aka Alternative Nobel Peace Price) 1987.
Let me focus on a few of his many abilities, like his research, his contribution to social science and his practice in creative conflict solution. And memorizing him is for me not possible without paying attention to my personal relation with him.

For me, and for many social scientist, Galtung became an inspiration thanks to his book on Theory and Methods of Social Research (London: Allen & Unwin, 1967). In that book he introcuced the basic concept of the data matrix. In short, the units and variables to be explored are given by the research strategy. Data collection is viewed as an effort to fill the data matrix with values, one for each combination of unit and variable. By data processing the matrix is brought on a form suitable for analysis. Analysis itself is treated step by step from simple tabulation and computation of parameters through hypothetis-formation to theory-building. This serves as the basis for statistical inference and finally the generalisation of hypotheses. So this book presents on a systematic way the basis for multivariate analysis in social sciences! Read more

Twelve Creative Ways To Foster Reconciliation After Violence

• by: John Galtung

Johan Galtung

12-09-2024 ~ Based on his experience as a mediator in many conflict areas, the author discusses twelve approaches to reconciliation.

He concludes that no single approach is capable of handling the complexity of the situation after violent events, thus combining approaches makes more sense.

The parties involved in the conflict should be invited to discuss these approaches and therefore be able to arrive at the best combination for their own situation.

Key words: conflict theory, peace work, reconciliation

Reconciliation is a processed aimed at putting an end to conflict between two parties. It includes a closure of hostile acts, a process of healing and rehabilitation of both perpetrators and victims. Reconciliation processes often require the intervention of a third party. That party attempts to manage the relationship between perpetrators and victims (Galtung, 1998).

During the reconciliation process the victim can seek restitution for the harm from the perpetrator by having the perpetrator punishedor give compensation. Another possibility is that the victim ‘gets even’ with the perpetrator through revenge. This may bring some gratification, but it may not automatically bring healing from trauma.

The perpetrator may seek release from his guilt through submission, penitence or apology and asking forgiveness.
Since reconciliation essentially takes place between perpetrator and victim, either of them can block the process. In that case, the trauma and guilt live on, and eventually may fuel new conflicts.

In this article twelve different approaches to reconciliation will be discussed. Read more

French PM’s Ouster Shows Deep Cracks In Legitimacy Of Europe’s Neoliberal Order

• by: C.J. Polychroniou

C.J. Polychroniou

12-08-2024 ~ The French left and far right joined forces to reject austerity, exposing the hollowing of the political center.

France’s National Assembly approved a no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Michel Barnier on Wednesday — just three months after he was appointed by the highly unpopular President Emmanuel Macron.

The rapid collapse of Barnier’s government reinforces the long-held view among political experts that a parliamentary multiparty system has more checks and balances and responds more readily to the will of the people than the U.S. presidential two-party system. And no, the collapse of the government does not mean that France is hurtling toward a U.S.-style government shutdown. French institutions are strong, and the country’s laws ensure that the public sector continues to do its work uninterrupted even in the absence of a government and a budget.

Yet, the government’s collapse speaks volumes of the political legitimacy crisis facing not only France but much of Europe in the age of advanced neoliberalism. Centrist parties are in decline across the continent, and the once ascendent left parties are now facing an existential crisis while the far right is marching steadily into the mainstream. It is not a pretty picture by any stretch of the imagination, but it fits with Antonio Gramsci’s reflection that “the old is dying and the new cannot yet be born.” Read more

How Republics Succeed, Falter, And Fail

• by: John P. Ruehl

John P. Ruehl – Independent Media Institute

12-07-2024 ~ The United States today faces inherent challenges that have weakened the republic, making lessons from the Roman Republic even more necessary to avoid greater political instability.

The U.S. enjoys many strengths that give it an edge over other republics, such as a decentralized and innovative economy that draws global talent and unmatched military strength. Yet the Roman Republic, which had its own comparative advantages, ultimately fell to autocratic rule, and the U.S. faces a similar fate if it fails to protect institutional integrity and unchecked power continues to grow.

Reform is crucial to the continuity of republican governance, yet history shows it is often compromised by entrenched power. Political dysfunction and the growing influence of corporate interests threaten to undermine the foundational principles of the U.S., posing a risk to its long-term stability.

From its inception, the United States has struggled to address its internal contradictions in ensuring fair treatment for its inhabitants. Autocratic tendencies also emerged early, with second President John Adams’s Alien and Sedition Acts targeting political dissent, immigrants, and free speech. Abraham Lincoln later expanded executive power during the Civil War, bypassing Congress to preserve the Union and abolish slavery, the most contentious and significant political question since the country’s founding. Despite such departures from Constitutional procedure—sometimes for good reasons—the system’s checks and balances ultimately resisted later executive overreach, like FDR’s failed Court-Packing plan.

Individual political challenges to republican systems are concerning, but the erosion of republican culture also leads to irreversible shifts in the political framework. Political bribery, unchecked imperialism, and government serving corporate interests over citizens combine to steadily capture the system. A select group of actors has crafted a continuous, increasingly scripted cultural-political spectacle, contributing to civic decline. As a result, the public has reduced active participation in governance in exchange for the passive right to cheer or criticize from the sidelines. Read more